The Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation and Singapore Art Museum (SAM) are proud to announce that HoTzyNyen’sPYTHAGORAS (2013) has been awarded the Grand Prize of the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014 worth $60,000. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony at SAM. Guest-of-honour, Mr. Lawrence Wong, Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, was present to grace the occasion.
Established in 2008 by the APB Foundation and SAM, the triennial prize seeks to present the most outstanding contemporary art from both established and emerging artists in the Asia Pacific region. The third edition of the triennial prize received 105 nominations from 24 countries and territories in June 2014, which was later shortlisted to 15 artworks from 13 countries in August 2014.Serving as a hallmark of distinction and excellence for artists in the Asia Pacific region, the prize has seen an increase in the exclusiveness and prestige with the tightening of the number of works a nominator can nominate as well as an increase in the amount awarded to the Grand Prize winner, from S$45,000 to S$60,000.
To determine the winners, the 15 finalist works were assessed by a judging panel comprising well-known international and regional art experts including Mr. Chris Saines, Director of Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art; Mr. Feng Boyi, eminent independent art curator and critic of Chinese contemporary art; Ms. LuckanaKunavichayanont, Director of Bangkok Art and Culture Center; Ms. PoojaSood, Director of KHOJ International Artists’ Association; and Dr. Susie Lingham, Director of SAM. The final selections were made based on the following criteria: strength of the idea and concept, creative and interesting use of medium and material, technique, expression and form, artistic insight and interpretation, imagination and originality and actual installed artwork.
A complex and beautiful video installation that centres on four different works that react to one another in a single space, Ho Tzu Nyen’sPYTHAGAROS creates an immersive experience for audiences to explore the concept of the unseen and the concealment of power, sound or the voice through the notions of veils and curtains. The work’s title is inspired by Pythagoras of Samos, the Greek philosopher and founder of Pythagoreanism, in which disciples were required to sit in absolute silence while listening to their master’s voice from behind a veil. An almost theatrical piece, the work also features characters from film and literary history such as the Wizard of Oz, Fritz Lang’s Doctor Mabuse, Stanley Kubrick’s Hal 9000 and Jean-Luc Godard’s Alpha 60, all of whom use the effect of ‘voice’ for their own purposes.
The APB Foundation has committeda total funding of $4.75 million for five editions of the APB Foundation Signature Art Prize which first took place in 2008. The last two editions will occur in 2017 and 2020, where once again, works from the preceding three years will be nominated for this prestigious art prize, via selected nominators from around the Asia Pacific region.TheAsia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize 2014 Finalists Exhibition will open till 15 March 2015 at the Singapore Art Museum.
About the Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) Foundation
Instituted in June 1994, the APB Foundation seeks to ignite compassion and inspire through our philanthropic efforts. We set resources in motion to help people and organisations improve talents, enhanced educational and research endeavours as well as better living conditions. In turn, we fuel society and enable the communities, where we live and work, to flourish.
Committed to supporting Human Excellence, Creativity Development and Humanitarian Causes, the APB Foundation is involved in a variety of initiatives that range from arts funding and backing talent-building projects for human capital development, to engaging in meaningful partnerships with organisations or individuals who share our common goal to serve the society.
The APB Foundation is a registered Charity with Institution of Public Character (IPC) status in Singapore. The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the HEINEKEN Company in Singapore. HEINEKEN Company has three entities in Singapore: HEINEKEN Asia Pacific, HEINEKEN Asia Pacific Exports and Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore.
